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Press Release 23rd May 2024

Coffee with Cops at Vienna's Praterstern: BILLA supports exchange between police and civilians

The ‘Coffee with Cops’ campaign as part of the Federal Ministry of the Interior's ‘Together.safely with our police’ initiative provided a special opportunity for customers at the BILLA supermarket at Praterstern in Vienna this morning to engage in a low-threshold dialogue with the police. True to the motto ‘Talking brings people together’, questions and concerns relating to the police's area of expertise could be discussed openly with the police officers present in an informal atmosphere over a cup of coffee and delicious treats from the BILLA patisserie. The focus was on building networks and exchanging security-related ideas. Provincial Police President Dr Gerhard Pürstl emphasised the importance of cooperation: ‘Coffee with Cops allows us to talk directly to citizens and deal with their concerns immediately. Our aim is to sustainably improve the sense of security and quality of life in the city through this direct dialogue."

Peter Kaderabek (corporate security at REWE Group), local councillor Hannes Taborsky, security spokesman for the Vienna People's Party and Christian Hursky (SPÖ) having coffee with the police officers

Peter Kaderabek (corporate security at REWE Group), local councillor Hannes Taborsky, security spokesman for the Vienna People's Party and Christian Hursky (SPÖ) having coffee with the police officers / Copyright: © BILLA / Robert Harson, Abdruck zu PR-Zwecken honorarfrei., Reproduction for PR purposes free of charge

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Eric Scharnitz, BILLA Sales Director, was also positive about the initiative: ‘’Coffee with Cops' promotes mutual respect and understanding between citizens and the police. It helps to break down prejudices and reduce inhibitions by giving people the opportunity to get to know the people behind the uniforms. With the ‘Together.safely with our police’ initiative, we as a community can not only raise awareness of safety issues, but also actively contribute to recognising and addressing potential risks at an early stage. Safety and wellbeing go hand in hand and this initiative is an excellent example of how we can work together to contribute to a safer and more pleasant environment. We want to increase the sense of security of all our employees and customers."

The initiative also enjoys broad support from political representatives at local level. Local councillor Christian Hursky (SPÖ) sees the project as a valuable opportunity to strengthen trust between the police and citizens. Councillor Hannes Taborsky, security spokesman for the Vienna People's Party, also emphasises that cooperation between the police and the population is of great importance so that the people of Vienna feel taken seriously and understood again in the face of growing challenges.